Art of shoemaking



Feb. 16 ,-1926. 1,573,104

F. E. TOOTHAKER ART OF SHOEMAKING Filed May 2, 1925 attested id, 1926.

UNITED STATEQE FRED E. TOOTHAKER, OF SVIAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSiIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE 1,573,104- rarsn r OFFICE].

MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF I NEW JERSEY.

ART or SHOEMAKING.

Application filed May' 2, 1925. Serial No. 27,502.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED E. Too'rrninnn, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have in vented certain Improvements in the Art of Shoemaking, of which the following description, in connection with the accompany- 7 ing drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures. v

This invention relates to the art of making shoes and particularly shoes in which the heel portion of the upper is turned inwardly over the heel-seat of the last, and the upper at the shank and torepart 1S turned outwardly, that 1s to stitchdown shoes having the heel-seats lasted inv-rardly. In the manufacture of shoes of this type, in

accordance with practise heretofore common, a molded counter having the usualinwardly turned sole attachingfiange hasbeen employed which is placed between the upper and lining and the upper is placed on a last having an innersole thereon ot the size and shape 01 the bottom of the last. The lining at the shank and torepart as well as at the heel is lasted in over the innersole, and a comparatively thin middle sole having its margin extending beyond the bottom of the last is placed upon the shoe and temporarily secured to the last. The margin of the upper at the shank and sides of the shoe is then lasted and permanently secured in the angle between the margin of the sole and the side of the last. Thereafter the upper is lasted inwardly over the heel-seat and secured thereto and finally an outersole is applied and stitched with the usual welt strip to the projecting margin of the middle sole and the outturned flange of the upper.

In order properly to secure the wings of the inturned about the heel-seat portion of the counter but having the portions of its flange adjacent to the wings of the counter outturned. The outturned portions of the counter flange are shaped and arranged to be readily positioned and secured to a middle I sole or outersole in the operation of lasting and securing the margin of the upper at the shank and sides of the shoe by the lasting iastenings. In another aspect the invention comprises an improved method, especially adapted for use in making stitchdown shoes of the type referred to, which is character ized by providing such a counter and by lasting and securingthe upper including the outturned portions of the counter to the 1 margin of the middle sole, after which the hee seat lasting and securing and the other subsequent operations. may be performed as heretofore. In still another aspect, the

invention provides a novel stitchdown shoehaving a counter provided with outturned' flange portions adjacent to the wings of the counter, the heel-seat portions of the counter and upper having inturned margins secured to the innersole while the upper forwardly of the heel-seat has outturned margins which together with the outturned portions of the counter wings, are attached to the middle sole by the upper lasting tastenings.

In the drawing: a

Fig. 1 is a view of a counter made in accordance with the present invention and showing its relation to the inner and middle soles, the upper and lining being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away and partly in section, showing a shoe including the novel counter in process of construction, the last being omitted;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the shoe and last, the section being taken through the outturned portion of the counter; y

Fig. lis a perspective View of thes'hoe after the sides and heel-seat have been' lasted; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, partly in sec tion, of the rear end of a shoe embodying" this invention.

In the manufacture of a shoe in accordance with the present invention, themargin ot' the counter which is to form the sole attaching flange is slit at a distance from the front end of the counter, the margin at the rear of the slit being turned and molded placed on the last and innersole, and the lining lasted in over the innersole about the shank and iorepart, the lining being secured preferably by cement.

A middle sole 16 is next temporarily secured to the last, this sole being a relatively thin extension sole, that is, having a margin extending beyond the sideof the last about thewhole periphery of the last bottom. The upper is lasted into the angle between the side of the last and the margin of the sole 16 about the torepartand shank by any suitable means and secured in said angle. As shown, a stitchdown staple lasting machine hasbeen employed to last the upper and secureit in the angle by means of staples 18 driven through the upper and middle sole 16 and clenched on the outer tace of the middle sole. The margin otthe upper 1s slit at each side at points corresponding to the slit in the counter between the inturned and outturned portions. Then, at the shank on each side at points adjacent to the heel-seat,

the upper and the outturned portion Gofthe counter are secured by one of the staples 18 to the middle sole. This counter constructlon enables the wings o1 the counter to be crowded in with the upper and the upper and wings of the counter to be secured in proper relation to the middle sole as a part of the lasting operation and without special attention on the part of the operator, thus dispensing with the separate operationv of securing the wings of the counter in position.

After the shank and torepart are thus lasteda-nd securec, the rear or heel-seat portion of the middle sole is turned back as shown. in Fig. 4, and the heel-seat of the shoe is lasted, the lining, inturned counter flange and upper being secured to. the innersole 4; by tacks 20. The remaining operations in the manufacture of the shoe maybe those usually employed. The rear end of the middle sole 16 is laid down and an outersole applied and secured with the usual welt 22 to the upper and. middle sole 16. It may be desirable under some conditions to introduce between the rear end of the middle sole and the heel-seat an additional thin layer of material, this layer 24, as shown in Flg. 5,

being equivalent in thickness to that of the upper and the outturned portion 6 of the counter. It is thus possible to secure a better appearance of the shoe adjacent to the end of the welt, the end ot the welt being skived and allowed to overlap slightly the joint between the filler piece and the counter and upper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A counter for shoes having the sole attaching flange at the wings of the counter turned outwardly and the remainder of the flange turned inwardly.

2. A stitchdown shoe having an innersole, an upper lining having inwardly turned margins secured in lasted position to the innersole, a counter and an upper having inturned marginal portions secured in lasted position to the innersole, and a middle sole, the upper and the portions of the counter adjacent to the wings of the counter having outturned marginal, portions attached to the middle sole.

8. A molded counter for shoes having the sole attaching flange adjacent to the wings of the counter molded outwardly and the remainder of the flange molded inwardly.

4. The niethod of making stitchdown shoes which consists in providing a counter having the major portion of'its sole attaching flange inturned and'portions adjacent to he counter wings outturned, placing the counter, between the outer layer and lining of the shoe upper, positioning the upper on a last having an innersole thereon, lasting the lining inwardly and securing it to the innersol'e, applying a middle sole, and lasting and securing the upper and outturned portions of the counter to the margin or" the middle sole.

5. The method of making stitchdown shoes which consists in providing a counter havingthe major portion of its sole attach- 1ng flange turned inwardly and portionsadjacent to the counter wings turned outwardly, placing the counter between the outer layer and lining of the shoe'upper, positioning the upper on a last having an innersole thereon, lasting the lining inwardly and. securing it to the innersole, applying a'middle sole, lasting and securing the up- .per and the wings of the counter in outturned relation to the margin of the middle sole, lasting the heel-seat portion of the upper overupon the inturned margin of the counter, securing the upper and counter flange to the heel-seat of the innersole, and completing the shoe in the usual manner.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRED E. TOOTHAKER. 

